Good wheel upgrade??....

hugh_b

Hey guy's, i have a trek 6000 08 and ride about 3 times a week, mainly aggressive xc/single track etc. I've so far upgraded the forks, tyres, & pedals i'm now looking to do wheels. Although i like bontrager they seem quite expensive. I have bontrager ranger rims on basic shimano c-lock hubs which aren't amazingly smooth and basic black spokes.
The wheels i've been looking at are mavic crossride 2009 wheels and bontrager select wheels 08, would either of these be a good upgrade? What would be better? What other wheel sets should i look at? thanks-Hugh

strodey

Try looking at mavic 717's, i'mbiased but find them great, i have them with pro 2 hubs

hugh_b

Right guy's, just specced this wheelset from merlins, what do you lot think in terms of weight, strength and performance?:

Handbuilt Wheels - Rear Disc
Spoke Upgrades: DT Comp S/S DB Black
Rim Upgrades: XC717 Disc
Hub Upgrades: XT Splined Hub
Pro 11 Hub Colour: Black
1 72.00
Handbuilt Wheels - Front Disc
Spoke Upgrades: DT Comp S/S DB Black
Rim Upgrades: XC717 Black Disc
Hub Upgrades: XT Splined Disc
Pro 11 Hub Colour: Black
1 65.00

dunker

prefer xm719 myself, only 50grams or so heavier i think but stronger

supersonic

XT/717 is a classic combo, good value and pretty strong and durable.

strodey

719's are stronger but that 50 grams is a lot more than 50 grams when the wheel is turning fast! (centrifugal force)
Depends on how heavy you are and what riding you do, i'm a measly 10 stone 8 so won't put too much pressure on them even when doing some more hairy rides! Both are great rims though

dunker

9 and a bit stone here and i could'nt tell any difference other than the 719's feel a bit better for me, kinda of not so rigid but it's prolly all in my mind. both my 717 and 719 merlin builds have stayed as true as the day they arrived with the same riding.

icedmind

i ll suggest you to look at mavic crosstrial
Click on my anthem and you ll see it lol (i have a set running on mine)

1st it have a ust rim that means you can run both tube or tubeless(ust/ stans or any tubeless type)

2nd it have a sealed bearing hub that you ll not need to service it every 6 month or so

3rd it have more or less same feature as crossmax, and it is the old crossmax with steel spokes. it have the same freehub system (fts-x ) as crossmax SRL or other model

lastly i ll say they look really sexy on my bike and that extra 200 grams heavier (compare on wheels build on 717 rims) will add on the strength of rims, which means you ll not catch buckle as easy as 717 rims

take a look on them and it ll cost abt 200 for new pair and less than 150 for a secondhand set
but for sure they will be stronger wif more pedal effiiency than the pro2 build on 717or 719, just dont have as loud freehub noice

gcwebbyuk

How do wheels of this spec compare with the XT factory wheelset?

ride_whenever

I'd like to add, 717 are fine if you are very smooth and run skinny rubber, but if you're catching air then you really want the 719s, so much stiffer in the end.

(I have 717 on deore and 719 on proII both from merlin, and you can tell the difference in stiffness, but the weight really isn't noticable.

supersonic

XT have two wheelsets - the XC and AM versions.

Both seem a little overpriced compared to a custom build. As do Mavics factory sets in my opinion.

gcwebbyuk

Supersonic, could you recommend upgrading my current wheelset :

http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12588858

Or is it not worth it for the money?

Thanks!

hucking_fell

Sonic must have a load of Mavic rims on Shimano XT hubs replies just waiting to get copied and pasted !

supersonic

Hehe, it is something I can type without thinking ;-)

realnumber 1

If your doing "mainly aggressive xc/single track etc" then I would go 719 tbh.
Admitedly I'm only 10st maybe 11 with all the gear on but I can honestly say I have given my Merlin made XT on 719's a right hammering since March and they are just as good as when I first got them.
Only probs I have had with them is more snake bite punctures than my old wheels but I think a bigger tyres should sort that.

gbrnole

if you ride aggressive stay away from 717's, I had some on my stumpjumper and raped the rims so bad; they just weren't tough enough.

I went with 719's after from CRC and never had a problem.